Folding shade-chair.



UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

FREDERICK T. B. MANN, on LoNc EAcn; CALIFORNIA.

I FOLDING SHADE-CHAlRt-l SPEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 725,348, dated April 14, 1903.

Application filed October 9, 1902. Serial No. 126,568. (No model.) v

geles and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Shade-Chairsof which the following is a specification.

My invention relatesto a folding shadechair, the object of my invention being to provide a chair of lightweight which can be folded into small compass and which shall be provided with a shade, being thus convenient for use at the seaside, on grass lawns, for picnic parties, artists, campers, dvc.

In the construction of my improved chair legs are dispensed with, as most peopleprefor to sit down on the sand orlawn itself, and the omission of the legs permits the chair be; ing of very light weight, thisbeing of great importance for a chair which is to be carried to a distance. be taken to pieces in a few minutesand reduced to a small compass, so that it may be carried in a small bag in one hand or packed away in a trunk when traveling to the sea-f side or elsewhere. When the distance is short, the chair need not be takento pieces, but may be carried-about folded up like an ordinary camp-chair, the sunshade loosely hanging down behind.

My invention therefore resides in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts for the above ends hereinafter fully specified, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the chair ready for use. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the chair, the

canvas back and sunshade being broken awayto show the construction. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the chair partly folded up and leaning against the wall, the suushade'in this case hanging loosely down at the back. Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the chair in the same position. Fig. 5 is a detail vertical section ofthe screws for securing the top and seat braces to the side and seat bars of the chair. Fig. 6 is a broken front elevation of the back-brace which connects the two lower side bars, the sockets in said side bars being shown in section to show the right and. left It is so constructed that it can tie-sections 19.

hand screws at the ends of said brace. Fig. 7 ,is a vertical section showing the attachment 'ofthe backrbrace-to the lower sidesection. Fig. 8 isan end view of said back-brace. Fig. .9 is a-vertical section showing the attachment of the tie-sections to the side bars.

Referring to the drawings, 1 represents the two upper side bars of-the chair, which are firmly held together at the top by the topbrace or cross-bar 2, saidtop-brace having at each end a screw 3 ,passing through an aperture 4 in the side bar and clamped to said bar by means of an internally-threaded knob 5. These screws 3 are preferably made of hard wood, as theycan be screwed up tighter and bind the bars 2 and side bars 1 more firmly together. H owever,"steel screws may be substituted. for the hard-wood screws in case the 'latter should weartoo fast.

" The lower ends-of iheupper side bars 1 pass throngh'eyes'fi, attached tothe lower sidebars 7, and are secured to the upper ends -of said lower side bars by means of hard-wood screws 8, which arepassed-through apertures 1 9 in thelower bars and are screwed into screwthreaded apertures "10 in the upper bars 1. At the lower endsof the lower side bars are attached by rivets ll the seat-bars 12, which are provided with shoes 13 to rest upon the ground. The front endsofi said seat-bars 12 are held together by means of the seat-brace 14:, secured to said seat-bars 12 in like manner as the top-brace 2 to the side bars 1.

To the top-brace 2 and seat-brace 14 is attached the back 15, of canvas or duck webbing, said back being formed with end loops 16, which receive the topand seat braces. Said back thus forms both 'a cover forthe bare ground and a support for. the back of the occupant.

To theseat-bars 12 are pivotally atttached, as shown at 17, the lower tie-sections 18,which at th'eir upper ends are pivoted to the upper The latter have at their upper endsslots 20, through which pass the wooden screws 8, before mentioned, so that the upper ends of the upper tie-sections pass between the heads 21 of said screws and the sides of the lower side bars 7. By means of said slots the angular elevation of the side 7 bars is adjusted to suit the occupant;

The lower ends of the sides are braced together by means of the back-brace 22. The ends of said back-braces have firmly secured thereon by means of screws 23 the screwplates 24, which have formed integral therewith the large screws 25, which enter internally-threaded metallic sockets 26, let into the side bars and secured by screws 27. The screws 25 at opposite ends of the back-brace are righthanded and left-handed, respectively, so that by turning the backbrace around in the proper direction both screws will be caused to screw into the sockets at the same time in one direction, drawing the side bars toward each other and moving them away from each other in the opposite direction.

The sunshade 28 is supported upon light flexible steel bands 29, of which two are at the sides of the sunshade and one in the middle, contained in longitudinal loops 30, formed in the sunshade. In the end loops 31, formed therein, are contained the light hard-Wood rods 32 33,the rear rod 32 being passed through screw-eyes 34, screwed into the rear edges of the upper side bars, while to the ends of the front rod 33 are attached cords 35. By drawing down said cords and attaching the lower ends thereof to the heads 21 of the screws 8 the front side of the shade is drawn down, the steel bands 29 bending and giving a curved shape to the shade, as clearly shownin Fig. 1, bringing the front of the shade down sufficiently to protect the occupant from the glare of the sun. There are also provided side curtains 36 to protect the occupant from the side lights.

To fold up the chair, the cords 35 are released and the sunshade allowed to fall over the back, the screws 8 partly unscrewed, the tie-sections pushed down, the seat brace moved up to the side bars, and the screws 8 tightened up again. The chair can then be comfortably carried under one arm by holding the seat-brace in one hand, the sunshade being turned inward against the side and hip.

It it evident that the top and seat braces and tie-sections on each side of the chair can be detached from the remainder of the chair, forming two separate pieces. The back-brace will form a third piece. The top-brace and the seat-brace will be left in their loops in the ends of the canvas back. The sunshade can likewise be folded into small compass by removing the end rods from their loops, placing them longitudinally or parallel with the steel bands, and rolling the sunshade up. The sunshade,with the three other pieces, can then be placed upon the canvas back parallel with the top and seat brace, which will be left in the loops of said back, and the whole will then be folded up into very small coinpass.

I clain1 1. In a folding chair, the combination of the upper and lower separable side bars, the tiepieces slotted at their upper ends, the screws passing through said slots and connecting together the upper and lower side bars and tiepieces, additional supports between said bars at a distance from said screws, and the seatbars attached to the lower ends of the lower side bars and of the tie-pieces, substantially as described.

2. The folding chair comprising the side bars, the seat-bars, the top-brace removably connecting the upper ends of the side bars, the seat-brace connecting the outer ends of the seat-bars, the tie-pieces connecting said side bars and seat-bars and the back-brace having right and left hand threads for screwing into bars on opposite sides of the chair adjacent to the juncture of the side and seat bars, substantially as described.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

M. A. GARDNER, L. V. EARTH. 

